Grad Enrollment Sets New Record at ASU

September 26, 2012

Angelo State University’s graduate enrollment set another record for the 2012 fall semester while undergraduate numbers declined, resulting nevertheless in the second-highest enrollment ever for the university.

Total 2012 fall enrollment was 6,888, down only 196 students from the record enrollment set last fall when ASU surpassed 7,000 for the first time with 7,084 students. Graduate enrollment continued its record upswing with 880 students signing up for graduate courses, 7.7 percent more than the 817 reported last fall. The 2012 fall graduate enrollment marked the sixth consecutive long semester in which the College of Graduate Studies has recorded an enrollment high.

The drop in undergraduate enrollment ended a string of record fall enrollments that began in 2010 and continued in 2011. Since ASU joined the Texas Tech University System (TTUS) in the fall of 2007, enrollment has increased 10.4 percent from 6,239 in 2007 to 6,888 this fall.

ASU’s enrollment figures are based on totals at the end of the 20th class day, which was Sept. 24. The 20th class day is the official reporting date for TTUS enrollment figures.

“We are pleased with the continued growth in our graduate programs,” ASU President Joseph C. Rallo said. “The undergraduate totals point out the work we need to do in recruiting and retention. Our efforts to rely over the past few years on a more data-centered admissions structure have not been as successful as we would have liked in recruiting, so we are returning to a more personalized admissions process with recruiters on the road visiting high schools and community colleges with greater frequency.

“In the area of retention,” Rallo continued, “the creation of a Freshman College this fall will provide a focused point of accountability to address all aspects of freshman retention. Over the long term, the Freshman College will help our entering students succeed on the path to graduation.”

Hispanic enrollment increased to 29.2 percent of the student body, compared to 27.1 percent last fall at Angelo State University, which has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the Department of Education. To receive the HSI designation, a university must have at least 25 percent undergraduate Hispanic enrollment.

Additionally, the semester credit hours taken by both graduate and undergraduate students were down 2.3 percent, totaling 85,482 for this fall, compared to 87,555 last fall.

ASU’s fall enrollment includes students from 42 states and 25 countries. Texas residents attending ASU this fall come from 219 of the state’s 254 counties.